Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi showered praise on his bowlers after a 21-run win against Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Saturday. LHQ posted a par score of 180-9 after Afridi won the toss and decided to bat first.
Sam Billings scored 51 runs from 35 balls for the home team whereas Abdullah Shafique scored 48 runs. Both of these batters added 69 runs for the third wicket to put their team in front.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans got off to a decent start with the bat. However, it was Rashid Khan, who turned the match on its head with his spell of 3-15 in his four overs. The talismanic spinner from Afghanistan accounted for Usama Mir, Rilee Rossouw, and David Miller.
Shaheen Afridi also confirmed that they will give chances to their bench in the upcoming matches.
Shaheen Afridi said after the win, “Had the belief in our bowling group and the preparation was good as well. Sam and Abdullah batted really well and we needed to bowl well to defend 180 and our bowlers responded well. We will try and give opportunities to all the players on the bench. We are in a good position now and can afford to give chances to the other players.”
Rashid Khan was awarded the Player of the Match for his fine bowling display in the middle overs.
He said, “I just keep it simple and try my best to do the basics right. I have clarity in my preparation and don’t make too many changes in that. I never do plannings for the upcoming team, I have played enough with all these players and know my areas to bowl. As long as you are hitting the right line and length it is gonna be tough for the batters.”
On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan was disappointed with his team’s efforts and feels they lost impetus after the first six overs. Rizwan also rued the fact that his bowlers bowled a total of 12 wides in their bowling innings.
He said after the loss, “When you lose, it feels like it wasn’t your day. Like the last match, post the powerplay we lost the momentum. Rashid Khan came on and changed the game, this gap is something we need to fix. When you end up bowling 22 overs in a 20-over game with so many wides, such a target is bound to happen. (On Usama Mir’s promotion) It was a plan so that we could target Rashid, but it didn’t work out. We need to keep things simple, we are probably a bowler short but the main thing we need to control is our performance post the powerplay.”
Lahore Qalandars will next face Peshawar Zalmi at the Pindi Club Ground, Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
